The Secret to Happiness

I saw a post this week by a friend of mine that made me stop. She was wearing her new fav t-shirt. It said: "Happiness is the new Rich". We all want to be happy, but happiness seems an unattainable goal because as soon as we arrive there, its has shifted.

We don't ever seem to really reach the mark. Could it be because we are trying to reach our own expectations and missing God's? God's mark isn't happiness. Happiness is a byproduct of thankfulness.

We spend so much time comparing our lives with others that we don't take a hard look at what we have. I know this is true for me. I can feel familiar emptiness seep in when I start to compare. It sometimes feels like what someone else has was stolen from me. That isn't true at all, in fact the reason I feel like something is being stolen from me is because it is, but I know the one who carries that title.

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

This thief leads us to believe we need more, more, more while he quietly siphons our joy. It's amazing how skilled he is at stealing our hearts away. Remembering what we have disarms jealousy. In thankfulness, God gives us the best weapon to defeat the thief.

Our family does something each Thanksgiving season to practice gratitude. we find a way to focus our hearts by keeping a list of our blessings in various ways. We've written them on leaves, raced to make it to 100 gifts recorded, and even kept a jar with sheets of paper for recording gratitude all year on our dining room table.

I'll be counting my gifts earlier than usual this year. I'm going to be keeping a list of the things I am thankful for every day. I am taking back my joy. I dare you to see if you can list at least 10 things you are thankful for every day from now until Thanksgiving. I'll be writing mine in my journal, but I'm not limiting myself to 10, I'm keeping it handy all day so that I can increase my joy by keeping the count as the hours pass.

I guess I should change the title to this post to:

The secret to having it all is remembering that you already do.

Cheers to remembering our blessings and re-joicing in them over and over until they fill our vision, effectively kicking that thief right in the teeth.